Adolescent development

This chapter identifies the most robust conclusions and ideas about adolesc ent development and psychological functioning that have emerged since Peter sen's 1988 review. We begin with a discussion of topics that have dominated recent research, including adolescent problem behavior, parent-adolescent relations, puberty, the development of the self, and peer relations. We the n identify and examine what seem to us to be the most important new directi ons that have come to the fore in the last decade, including research on di verse populations, contextual influences on development, behavioral genetic s, and siblings. We conclude with a series of recommendations for future re search on adolescence.